Kitchen Catastrophe
by Regia Puella
Summary: Shiemi's innocent request nearly results in utter disaster. Rin makes her promise never to scare him like that again. Cooking lessons gone wrong.


**Warning** for Rin-isms.

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"Shi-Shiemi…Why are you making a face like that…? I-If you didn't want _sukiyaki_, you should've just said something," Rin stated, trying to sound firm but failing miserably.

No one could really blame him when the normally sweet, calm visage of one Shiemi Moriyama had twisted into the most tragic look he'd ever seen her make. Try as he might, Rin couldn't figure out what could be causing her to become so upset in such a short amount of time. Come to think of it, her presence in the kitchen of the old boys' dormitory that he and his twin, Yukio, called home was a little surprising. Maybe Yukio had invited her over and forgotten to tell Rin. He honestly wouldn't be surprised.

A small voice broke through his thoughts, effectively turning his attention back to the girl in question. "Rin, d-do you think…I mean, if it's not too much trouble, c-can I…Can I watch?"

The last few words were rushed together, and Rin could do nothing more than blink at her for a moment, confusion clouding his mind as he tried to decipher them. Once he'd managed to put two and two together, he was stunned, but also very, _very _pleased. If Shiemi wanted to watch him cook, he wouldn't be the one to say no. Any time spent just the two of them alone was precious, since most of the time they had a handful of others butting into their business without so much as "taking a leave."

"Huu~uh, w-well….If you want, I guess there's no helping it." _The only person you're fooling here is yourself, Okumura. _"It…You might be a bit bored, though. Why d'ya wanna watch, anyway…?"

Now that he thought about it, if Shiemi really _was _here on an invitation from Yukio, that must mean they were doing homework, or something. He remembered the last few times they'd met up at her place and he'd assumed they were…doing something else, when in reality it was as innocent as getting help with schoolwork. Since nothing seemed to have changed since then, this had to be one of those sessions. Rin wondered how long it would be until his younger twin came looking for his wayward pupil.

She leaned forward, peering up at him anxiously as she rushed to assure him, "No, no! It's always a pleasure to watch Rin cook! You always make it look so easy, like you're doing magic~! To be honest, I think it's really cool that you're so good at cooking. I…I'm a little envious."

_Envious. _Shiemi was envious of something _Rin _did…? He felt his pride in his abilities skyrocket to a higher level than it had already been. Cooking was one of the very few things that Rin considered himself good at and took a certain amount of pride in, but he hadn't thought that anyone would look on his skill with envy. _Especially _not someone like Shiemi, who was perfect in every way. A hot blush dusted his cheeks, and he rushed to save face, rubbing the back of his neck as he forced out an amused chuckle.

"Haha~Well, uh…I don't know about magic, but thanks! Hey, Shiemi. Ya wanna help? We could make it together!" Rin offered excitedly, shooting her a toothy grin as it occurred to him that doing it together would be much more fun than one alone while the other watched quietly.

Waving her hands quickly in denial, the blonde shook her head while saying, "N-No, that's alright! Really, I'm fine with just watching. I'd just be in your way if I tried to help."

He blinked, a little surprised by the firm tone she'd taken, wondering why she was so certain she would be in his way. Rin always enjoyed Shiemi's company, and her presence always turned out to be useful in some way.

"What are you talking about? Don't be stupid, you wouldn't be in the way. You'd be _helping out_. C'mon, it's not that hard!"

Shiemi worried her lower lip in thought, green eyes wide and shiny with interest. Rin could tell that she _really _wanted to take him up on his offer, had probably been secretly hoping for this outcome all along, and he figured it was only a matter of time before she finally caved. He was right (to everyone's great surprise.)

Hesitantly, as if unsure of her own resolve, the tamer accepted with a small nod and a tiny smile. "O-Okay! If you're sure about that, I'll do whatever you ask…Chef Rin! Heehee~"

More color flooded his cheeks on cue, and he looked away as he rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled, a little embarrassed. '_She's so cute like that…_' Shaking his head to bring himself back to the present, Rin began to direct her on the right course, beginning with washing her hands. Shiemi was always an eager student, really trying her best to understand and and follow along, and this was no exception. Rin began to think that maybe this shouldn't be just a one time thing; after all, past experience told him that Shiemi wasn't exactly well-versed in the art of cooking (though she made a mean batch of cookies!), and it might do her some good in the future to prepare a meal that didn't taste like a garden.

"That's right, that's right! Yeah, you're doing real well, Shiemi! Okay, you can put some oil in that pan there and heat it up a bit. We're gonna need that for the sauce and everything in a second, so might as well do it now. Go on," Rin encouraged when she merely gaped at him, visibly flustered from the praise.

In hindsight, he might've clarified _what _type of oil she was meant to put in the pan. It simply didn't occur to him that they had several kinds in the cabinet (_for some unknown reason_, considering Rin really only used the one), or that she wouldn't realize what he meant in the first place. Really, it was all his fault, when one stopped to think about it.

Needless to say, the pan lit up in flames, bursting forth and licking at the startled blonde's face and neck. She cried out in surprise, the sound enough to cause Rin to jump into immediate action. He yanked her back by grabbing her upper arms and pulling her behind him, perhaps a little too hard. Leaping forward, ignoring the small inferno currently raging from the stove top, Rin quickly turned off the stove top and moved to find something to douse the fire that had caught on the wooden cabinet hanging overhead a little to the right. '_We've got a fire extinguisher here somewhere…Ah! C'mon c'mon c'mon._' _  
_

Once everything had _fired down_, Rin whirled around to observe Shiemi with wide eyes, heart still pounding furiously in his chest. He was pretty damn sure that little episode had just scared a good fifty years off his life, if he'd even had that many to begin with.

"Shiemi, are you okay? You're not hurt are you? Did you get burned? What the hell were you thinking, pouring that shit on a pan and then _lighting a fire underneath it_…? No, you know what, nevermind; it doesn't matter anymore. Just…A-Are you okay? Should I call Yukio, or…"

He was rambling. Rin was aware of it, knew that his mishandling of the situation was probably not serving to calm _her_ down any, but he just couldn't help it. There had always been a real fear that she might…That he might…Seeing her exposed to flames like _that _and knowing there was a chance she might be hurt…Honestly, he thought he was having a heart attack.

Shiemi coughed a little, one hand pressed against her mouth and the other waving furiously as if to ward off the onslaught of his frenzied words. "D-Don't worry about me, Rin! I'm okay, really! I-I'm sorry…I should have read the label more carefully. It's nothing to be worried about, I'm fine. I — O-Oh!"

Her hand had brushed against a pink and quickly swelling area on her neck as she moved to drop it to her side and was now hovering over it, biting her lower lip to keep it from trembling. She _wasn't _fine. Shiemi had been _burned_. Despite all Rin's secret, intense fears regarding such a thing happening to one of his friends, _he _wasn't the one responsible…No, he was, but it hadn't been _his _flames that caused it.

With how guilty he felt currently, it might as well have been.

Suddenly, his face was two inches from her neck, hand pushing hers away so that he had a better view as he demanded, "Let me see! It looks a little red, Shiemi. I-Is that normal…? What should I do? Do you put water on burns, or lotion o-or…"

He felt helpless, and it was stupid and _he _was stupid and _oil _was stupid and this was an utter disaster. All thoughts of future 'cooking dates' were promptly pushed from his mind. This was _never _happening again. Anything that got Shiemi hurt under his watch wasn't something Rin really felt comfortable participating in any longer.

"Rin. It's alright. You don't have to do anything; I can take of myself. Watch!" Shiemi said gently, face surprisingly calm for one who had just been through such a fiasco.

Rin quieted down _Nee _suddenly made an appearance, bringing forth some kind of plant. There was a long moment when he wondered just what good _rabbit's food _was going to do, and then he realized that the remaining tension he hadn't noticed previously etched on the serene face in front of his had melted away. She was alright. Everything would be fine. He suddenly felt drained, and at least twenty years older.

He lifted a hand to cup her face as gently as possible, thumb brushing softly over the slightly raised skin as he surveyed her for any remaining injuries. Both their faces were turning red, this time as a result of their proximity, but neither of them moved. "You scared me, Shiemi. Please don't do that again."

"Okay. I promise, Rin."

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**Author's Note**: Prompt from Tumblr user naokikonishis. This was my first time writing this pairing! If you have any questions/suggestions/or comments, I would love to hear it! Please note that I accept requests. All you have to do is drop me a message at my writing blog, or my askfm account. You don't need to be logged in to send a request in, so please don't worry about that!


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